The field of this invention relates to entertainment and more particular to the constructing of a portable stage which is capable of being transported with an entertainment group from one performance location to another performance location.
It is common that musical groups perform within a given city for a short period of time such as a few days or a week, and then move on to another city where again the performance time is repeated. Many times the facility in which the performance is given does not have a stage on which the performance is to be given or, the performer, for a reason, may not wish to use the stage provided by the facility. One reason would be that such stages are rented on a per day basis and the daily rate is most expensive.
Therefore, it has become quite common that performing groups have purchased their own stage. This stage is transported along with the performing group from city to city. The desirable features of having your own stage is that the rental of the stage is not required and the performing group begins to "know" their own stage. This knowledge of one's own stage makes the performance easier and increases the safety in conjunction with the usage of the stage.
In order to transport a stage from one city to another, the stage has :o be disassembled. Previous to the subject matter of this invention, the portable stages were constructed similar to an erector set. These stages were brought to the facility and assembled piece by piece with the pieces being bolted together. A typical stage is forty feet by sixty feet. To assemble such a stage would take ten hours or more with six or more people doing the assembly work. From a labor point of view, this assembly is very time consuming and inherently very expensive.
It is common that, upon a performing group completing a performance within a city with generally this performance terminating in the early hours of the morning, a crew begins to disassemble the stage immediately and work through the night to complete this disassembly. The now disassembled stage is placed upon a truck with the truck now being driven to the city of the next performance. Upon the arrival of the next performance site, the crew begins to assemble the stage with generally the assembly taking approximately ten hours. Because of the time period for the assembly and disassembly of the stage coupled with the traveling time, it is impossible for the performing group to give a performance that night in the new city. The first performance cannot be until the next day which means that a night of performance is lost. It is common that a single performance of a performing group would bring in a substantial amount of income. Therefore, this income is lost.
lt would be desirable to design a portable stage which could be disassembled and assembled in a substantial shorter period of time thereby making it possible for the performing group to terminate their performance inone city and perform in another city the next night.